Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has praised Sean Dyche for the way he has transformed his old club and opened up on the video that sent him viral.
Dyche was the man tasked with leading the Blues to Premier League safety after replacing Frank Lampard back in January. When the former Burnley boss took charge, Everton had 15 points from 20 games and sat second from bottom.
Although there have been plenty of bumps in the road, Everton secured their place in next season’s top-flight when they beat Bournemouth 1-0 at Goodison Park last Sunday. A second-half strike by Abdoulaye Doucoure was enough to secure the three points needed.
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And Osman, speaking to the ECHO at a Socios Fan Token Cup event, believes Dyche deserves a huge amount of credit for installing desire, heart and determination into his side.
He said: "We all look at the Everton squad and say we shouldn’t be in this position, but we are in there for a reason because performances haven't been good enough.
"Things didn’t go our way in the early part of the season, but since Sean Dyche joined the club, there was just more of a feel for what we have come to expect.
"Desire, heart and determination - it has been unfortunate at times; Dominic has been injured, and this club has always been famous for its number nines.
"We are a club that needs a number nine. A presence up at the top end of the field, and we haven’t had that. It has been difficult for Sean Dyche to come into a club that hasn’t got a way of scoring goals and is relying on goals from midfield.
"But they have found a way of doing that. Great credit goes to some of those players. Dwight McNeil raised his game massively, and young Garner coming in found levels we weren’t sure were there because he had been injured for most of the season."
On a dramatic final day, the Blues were en route to the second-tier for the first time in 70 years at half-time as Leicester City were beating West Ham United at the King Power and Everton were being held by Bournemouth.
And even though Doucoure managed to put his side ahead, Blues supporters were forced to endure another 40 minutes of anguish with their club’s future hanging in the balance. The tension inside Goodison Park was palpable as fingernails were bitten and nerves were shredded.
Osman was also feeling the pressure while working for Premier League Productions at their headquarters. A montage of him reacting to the events at Goodison as they unfolded was posted online after the game.
The former England international wasn’t initially aware that he was being filmed but admits that, looking back, he was simply going through the motions that all Everton supporters were feeling at the time.
"I was aware, partly, midway through," he told the ECHO when asked about the clip. "I was already heavily invested before I realised, but I am sure that is how everyone felt.
"I was just the one that got filmed doing it. We all had those moments of panic, worry, and concern, but at half-time the results weren’t going our way.
"Then that moment of delight when Doucoure puts that goal in, hoping the referee blew his whistle on 63 minutes, or whatever it was.
"But not only did we have to wait until the 90th minute, but it was 90+10. It wasn’t an easy afternoon, but the relief that settled over me when the referee blew his whistle was brilliant."
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